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Literacy for early years
Magazines - Writing Reviews!
This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to know what reviews are and why people read them, understand the features that make effective reviews, and write their own interesting and appropriate reviews. In particular, students learn to use a range of appropriate features in writing their own magazine reviews, including facts and opinions, jargon, connectives, and statistics. There are easily enough resources here for 2-3 lessons on this topic.
Over the course of their learning journey, students:
- Define and exemplify what reviews are;
- Understand why people read reviews;
- Understand and categorise the different techniques used by reviewers;
- Identify the features of reviews in model examples;
- Analyse the effect of techniques in reviews upon the reader;
- Use a wide-range of techniques in writing their own reviews;
- Peer and self assess each other's review attempts.
The resources include:
-Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint;
-A colourful and helpful 'Writing Reviews' Help-Sheet;
-Pointless Jargon Game;
-Techniques cards for defining the key key features of reviews;
-Connectives worksheet;
-Blank book review template and film review template;
-A model example (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone);
-Helpful and comprehensive step-by-step lesson plan.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl - KS1 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl's 'George's Marvellous Medicine.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS1 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'Feed Grandma' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'talk about their favourite words and phrases in the story;'
- 'Dahl's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'George's Idea' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Say what might happen next in a story based on what has happened so far;'
- 'Grandma' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Enjoy reading and discussing the order of events in books and how items of information are related.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl's 'James and the Giant Peach.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'An Interview with James' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Dahl's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'Sponge and Spiker' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Figurative Language' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
Adventurous Adjectives!
This is an exciting and engaging lesson/set of tasks aiming to build students' skills at using personification and adjectives in their writing . It was taught during an observation lesson where the teacher received an Outstanding judgement.
Students learn to:
- Define and give examples of what regular, adventurous, comparative, and superlative adjectives are;
- Identify adjectives in fun and interesting examples;
- Analyse what makes them effective;
- Create their own adventurous adjectives using step-by-step advice;
- Peer assess using a clear and succinct success criteria.
It comes complete with:
- Engaging and visual PowerPoint to guide students (and teacher!) through the lesson;
- Colourful and thought-provoking worksheet for the main analysis task;
- Lesson plan/ teacher guidance sheet, which goes through the lesson step-by-step;
- Resources to create adjective word cards.
All pictures are licensed for commercial use, and image authors cited on the final slide.
This lesson can also be bought as part of the Descriptive Devices bundle for just £5. The bundle leads students through each language device needed in order to write to describe confidently.
Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £6
Delightful Determiners!
This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to understand what determiners are, categorise different types of determiners accurately, and use a wide range of appropriate determiners in their writing. In particular, students become familiar with the importance of determiners in a wide range of writing types, whilst learning through fun and interactive tasks:
Over the course of the lesson, they learn to:
- Define and exemplify determiners;
- Understand and categorise the different types of determiners;
- Analyse the effect of different types of determiners;
- Use a wide-range of accurate determiners in writing about interesting topics;
- Peer and self assess the use of determiners in writing.
The resources include:
-Visually engaging whole-lesson/s PowerPoint (around 26 slides)
-A colourful and helpful 'Delightful Determiners' Writing Mat;
-'The Effect of Determiners' worksheet and teacher's answer sheet;
-Noun cards to assist with the main task
-A model example;
-Step-by-step lesson plan.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences!
This detailed and engaging lesson enables students to gain an understanding of simple, compound and complex sentences, and to use a variation of sentence types in their own writing for clarity and effect.
Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to:
- Define and exemplify simple, compound, and complex sentences;
- Identify them in writing;
- Understand and analyse how different types of sentences can be used for clarity and effect;
- Create a written piece using a variety of sentence structures for clarity and effect;
- Evaluate their use of different sentence structures.
The resources include:
-Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation;
-Resources for the card-sorting activity;
-A model example and analysis worksheet;
-A success criteria;
-Step-by-step lesson plan.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
Parenthesis!
This detailed and engaging lesson enables students to define and exemplify parenthesis, to understand how parenthesis is used grammatically correctly, and to use parenthesis for clarity and effect in their own writing.
Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to:
- Define and exemplify parenthesis;
- Understand which punctuation marks are used to signal parenthesis;
- Identify the parenthesis in a range of different sentences;
- Understand and analyse how parenthesis can be used accurately, and for clarity and effect;
- Create a written piece using parenthesis to add detail and clarity to their own writing.
The resources include:
-Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation;
-A model example and analysis worksheet;
-A challenging worksheet (and answer sheet)
-Step-by-step lesson plan.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
Fantastic Mr Fox - The Very Clever Mr Fox!
This fun and informative helps students to gain a deeper understanding of the main character in Roald Dahl’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox:’ Mr Fox himself! Students use their skills of inference and deduction in order to establish key information about Mr Fox’s character, likes, dislikes, and mannerisms. They then create a character profile using the information that they have gathered!
The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through:
-Considering how Roald Dahl was influenced by real-life foxes in his characterisation;
- Reading and understanding extracts from the opening of Fantastic Mr Fox, in which Mr Fox's character traits are revealed;
- Inferring and deducing key features about Mr Fox from across the text;
- Creating a character profile for Mr Fox, utilising knowledge that they have gathered from over the course of the lesson;
- Self assessing their own learning attempts.
Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
- Text Detectives Worksheet (and answer sheet);
- Selected extracts - Fantastic Mr Fox;
- Character Profile Template (Word and PDF);
- Comprehensive lesson plan.
There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a mixed-ability year 3 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 1 and 8 with some adaptations.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.
Fantastic Mr Fox - Boggis, Bunce and Bean!
This fun and informative lesson helps students to understand the descriptive language techniques used by Roald Dahl in his descriptions of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean in ‘Fantastic Mr Fox.’ In particular, students analyse how Dahl's language is used to create imagery, before designing and describing their very own mean farmers!
The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through:
-Completing a card-sorting activity to define and exemplify each of the descriptive devices;
- Reading and understanding extracts from the opening of Fantastic Mr Fox, in which the farmers are described;
- Identifying and analysing Dahl's use of language devices throughout the description of the farmers;
- Writing their own language device-filled descriptions of their farmers, with support from a clear template;
- Self assessing their own learning attempts.
Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
- Language Analysis Worksheet (and answer sheet);
- Selected extracts - Fantastic Mr Fox;
- Cards for Sorting Activity;
- Planning Template (Word and PDF);
- Comprehensive lesson plan.
There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a mixed-ability year 3 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 1 and 8 with some adaptations.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.
Fantastic Mr Fox - Structure of the Story!
This fun and informative lesson helps students to understand the narrative structure used by Roald Dahl throughout ‘Fantastic Mr Fox.’ In particular, students identify the features of each stage of the narrative structure within the story, before recreating sections of the structure themselves!
The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through:
- Taking part in a fun group quiz to recap on the key elements of the plot leading up to the ending;
- Reading and understanding extracts from the ending of Fantastic Mr Fox, answering comprehension questions to demonstrate their understanding;
-Understanding features of narrative structure and applying the plot of Fantastic Mr Fox to the individual elements;
-Recreating elements of the plot, using their understanding of the stages of narrative structure;
- Self assessing their own learning attempts.
Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
- Storyboard Template (and PDF version);
- Selected extracts - Fantastic Mr Fox;
- Recreations Template (and PDF version);
- Comprehensive lesson plan.
There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a mixed-ability year 3 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 1 and 8 with some adaptations.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.
Fantastic Mr Fox Pointless Game! (and template to create your own games!)
Based on the popular game show 'Pointless', this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I've also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, interesting tasks, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in 'Fantastic Mr Fox.'
Round 1. The characters in Fantastic Mr Fox
Round 2. Quotations from the text
Round 3. Settings and Objects
Round 4. Themes in Fantastic Mr Fox
The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.
A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!
Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare's Language Choices
This engaging, in-depth lesson enables students to understand how Shakespeare uses a range of colourful and varied language choices to develop the theme of social grace in ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ Much Ado About Nothing contains some of Shakespeare's most vibrant and interesting language, as characters such as Benedick and Claudio use words to jostle for respect around the noble Don Pedro and Leonato. This lesson explores the devices that they use in order to gain favour with their social superiors.
The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through:
- Defining and exemplifying different language devices, such as similes, metaphors, alliteration, and puns.
- Taking part in a fun team quiz to identity the language devices used by the main characters in Much Ado About Nothing.
- Understanding the idea of social grace, and learning how it relates to the social hierarchy within the text.
- Completing an essay style response in which they consider how Shakespeare uses language to develop the theme of social grace.
- Peer assessing each other's learning attempts.
Included is:
- Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and detailed - just download and teach from it!
- Cards for card-sorting activity;
- Social grace worksheet;
- Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses;
- Comprehensive lesson plan.
There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to higher ability year 9 and 10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities.
Much Ado About Nothing - Pointless Game!
Based on the popular game show 'Pointless', this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I've also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, engaging visuals, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.'
Round 1. The characters in Much Ado About Nothing
Round 2. Quotations from the text
Round 3. Settings, Themes, and Objects
Round 4. Shakespearean Comedies
The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.
A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!
Writing to Argue/Persuade: Gaining Authority
Perfect for use when teaching writing to persuade or argue, this lesson utilises a wide range of teaching strategies to enable students to gain authority over their target audiences. The students who I have taught this lesson before have found it enjoyable and engaging - particularly enjoying the use of videos to see some of the techniques in action!
Throughout the lesson, the learning journey that the students follow enables them to:
- Define the key terms 'Argue', 'Persuade' and 'Authority.'
- Consider famous individuals that are effective at gaining authority;
- Link key techniques to their definition and examples;
- Identify key techniques in videos (Dave Gorman, Dragon's Den, etc.) and analyse why they are effective;
- Write their own authority-filled persuasive piece using a success criteria;
- Peer assess their partner's writing attempts.
The resource is made up of:
- A visual and engaging Powerpoint presentation, which walks teachers and students through the lesson in a step-by-step fashion
- Hyperlinks to all of the online video resources that you will need
- A key techniques activity worksheet
- An analysis worksheet
- A full lesson plan/ teacher guidance.
All images are cited on the final slide and are licensed for commercial use.
Stupendous Similes and Miraculous Metaphors!
This is an exciting and engaging lesson/set of tasks aiming to build students’ skills at using similes and metaphors in their writing . It was taught during an observation lesson where the teacher received an Outstanding judgement.
Students learn to:
- Define and give examples of what similes and metaphors are;
- Identify similes and metaphors on funny posters and captions;
- Analyse what makes similes and metaphors effective;
- Create their own simile and metaphor filled writing piece;
- Peer assess and learn through fun interactive tasks.
It comes complete with:
- Engaging and visual PowerPoint to guide students (and teacher!) through the lesson;
- Colourful and thought-provoking worksheet for the main analysis task;
- Lesson plan/ teacher guidance sheet, which goes through the lesson step-by-step;
- Resources to enable the teacher to make ‘flags’ for the introductory task.
All pictures are licensed for commercial use, and image authors cited on the final slide.
This lesson can also be bought as part of the Descriptive Devices bundle for just £5. The bundle leads students through each language device needed in order to write to describe confidently.
Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £6.
Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl - KS1 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox.’ (Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions). They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS1 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- ‘Feed the Foxes’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘talk about their favourite words and phrases in the story;’
- ‘Dahl’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’
- ‘Bean’s Plan’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Say what might happen next in a story based on what has happened so far;’
- ‘Mr Fox’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Enjoy reading and discussing the order of events in books and how items of information are related.’
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
Danny, the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny, the Champion of the World.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- ‘An Interview with Danny’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’
- ‘Dahl’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’
- ‘Description of Mr. Victor Hazell’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’
- ‘Figurative Language’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.’
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
The BFG - Roald Dahl - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl’s ‘The BFG.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- ‘An Interview with Sophie’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’
- ‘Dahl’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’
- ‘The Giant’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’
- ‘Figurative Language’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.’
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
Bundle
Classifying Animals Lesson, Resources, and Pointless Game!
This bundle contains the ‘Classifying Animals’ lesson, and also the fun and interactive Animal Classes Pointless Game!
The detailed and engaging lesson enables students to gain an understanding of what animal classes are, and which animals belong to the different categories. Furthermore, they learn to categorise animals themselves, using scientific knowledge of the features of each animal class. Students justify their choices using critical thinking skills.
Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to:
- Define each animal class and understand its features;
- Exemplify each animal class, justifying their choices;
- Use research and investigative skills to categorise animals for whom the class is not immediately obvious;
- Evaluate the learning and understanding of themselves and their peers.
The resources include:
-Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation;
-Resources for the card-sorting activity;
-A categorising and justifying worksheet (and answer sheet for teacher);
-An investigation log;
-Step-by-step lesson plan.
To help their investigation write-ups, I’ve also thrown in the literacy writing mat for free!
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
Bundle Sale
SPAG: Nouns Lesson Bundle!
These engaging and detailed resources have been designed to make the learning of different types and uses of nouns (particularly prominent in the new curriculum) easily accessible, engaging and interesting for all children. Throughout each lesson, students learn to improve their skill at using appropriate, concise, and precise nouns, and practice employing them within their own writing compositions. Each lesson contains a comprehensive whole lesson PowerPoint, all the resources that you will need, and a lesson plan.
Within this pack is included:
- Exceptional Expanded Noun Phrases;
- Collective and Plural Nouns;
- Concrete, Abstract, and Compound Nouns
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint/ the bottom of worksheets.